exercises for chondromalacia

i've been doing some reading on the internet (ya, i know, but it's cheaper than doctors :cool: ), and have self-diagnosed myself with chondromalacia

it looks like the treatment is rest and pt, so even if i'm wrong i shouldn't hurt anything. the muscles i want to work are quad/hamstring and avoid anything with flexion over 90deg. what i have planned now is stationary bike riding, leg curls (hamstring) and leg extensions (quads).

anybody have experience with this and/or have other exercises to add? specifically, anything that targets the medial quad (weakness here is often the cause of chondromalacia)

thx for any help :yourock:

there are many causes of chondromalacia/patello-femoral tracking syndrome or any of the other names it is known by.

many times hamstring tightness cna be involved as well a alignment issues at the hip/or ankle, leg lenght differences, weak hip abductors, weak VMO, poor core strength etc.......

You could begin with some short arc knee extensions(0-30 deg) and straight leg raises as well as some single leg balance to strenghen the quad and the hip in a functional pattern. And make sure to stretch the hamstrings.

short arc = sitting with legs straight out and lowering to 30deg, then raising to straight again? progress with weight, or leg weight is plenty?

you mention alignment at the ankle . . . would pronating be one of these causes?

thx for info Vinman, anything I can learn about this is very helpful.

a difference in ankle pronation can contribute sometimes. Pronation causes increased rotation of the lower leg. wich can effect the patello-femoral joint via the attachment of the patellar tendon to the tibia.

your short arc description is correct. Can also be done while sitting on the floor with a soccer ball /basketball under knee. begin with just weight of leg then progress after several days.

awesome, i'll give those a try. :yourock:

it can put a lot of pressure on the undersurface of the patella and make it worse

what's a better way to work quads? or should i just back off of them and do low-weight short-arc extensions as i have been since vinman suggested them . . .

god damn it's annoying when my body doesn't operate properly

SAQ and SLR's add weight as you get stronger and balance until things start feeling better. hamstring stretches are important too.